We’ve got even more tournament coverage for you today, and this time we’re headed north to Bartlesville to break down the Bruin Classic. It’s one of the smaller events of the weekend, but there’s plenty of talent to talk about, with five great programs battling it out this Thursday and Friday. The field includes the hosts, Bartlesville, as well as Enid, Sand Springs, Ponca City, and Sapulpa.
Team Breakdowns
Bartlesville
The hosting Bruins haven’t gotten off to as good of a start as they likely hoped this season, sputtering out of the gate to a 6-9 record with only one district win so far, but the talent is there and a big weekend on their home field could be a turning point for them. A solid week at the Gulf Coast Classic over spring break points towards a righting of the ship from Bartlesville, so they’ll look to replicate some of that success this weekend, facing off with Ponca City, Enid, and Sapulpa.
Enid
Before the season began, we predicted Enid to be one of the elite teams in 6A once again after a run to the state championship a season ago. A similar run is still very much attainable for the Plainsmen, but admittedly things aren’t looking as good as we had anticipated when that prediction was made. There have been flashes of the elite potential we talked about, namely in big wins over teams such as Stillwater and Deer Creek, but the Plainsmen have struggled to pull out close games at times this year, losing four games by only one run, which doesn’t include a 12 inning loss to Edmond Memorial. The Plainsmen can reignite talks of a deep run this May with a solid showing this weekend. They’ll be matched up with Sapulpa and Sand Springs.
Sapulpa
Sapulpa has quietly gotten off to one of the best starts in the state regardless of class, winning their first 12 games before finally taking their first loss in the semi-finals of the Gulf Coast Classic. They aren’t just beating up on lesser competition either, beating multiple 6A opponents already this season such as Broken Arrow and Norman North. They’ll be looking to make a statement against some of the best teams in the state this weekend and prove they are a legitimate contender to knock Carl Albert off the throne in 5A. Sapulpa will face Enid, Bartlesville, and Sand Springs this weekend.
Sand Springs
The Sandites also came into the season looking like a squad that was poised to make a deep run in the state tournament this season, and for the most part, they’ve lived up to the hype. They sit at a strong 11-4 with a 4-2 district record that puts them at 4th in the district.The Sandites have looked their best this season when playing top opponents, beating Yukon 12-5 and Enid 7-4 early in the season. However, the Sandites achilles heel so far has been playing down to opponents that, if they (rightly) consider themselves a state championship contender, should be beating. Splitting district series early on has put the Sandites in a hole, now likely needing a sweep over either Stillwater or Owasso to host a regional. Sand Springs will be looking to parlay some success this weekend into a run in the second half of the season that puts them towards the top of the 6A ladder. The Sandites will play Ponca City, Enid and Sapulpa this weekend.
Ponca City
It’s been a rough go of it this year for the Wildcats, losing their last nine games after a one-run win over Chisolm in their season opener. Things appear to be trending the right direction though, as although they weren’t able to pull off the upset in either game of their recent district series against Bixby, Ponca was winning or tied going into the 6th inning of both games. Ponca City will be looking to turn the season around quickly with a good showing in Bartlesville, facing off with Bartleville and Sand Springs.
Live Scores
Thursday
11:00 a.m. – Bartlesville vs Ponca City FINAL 5-3 Bartlesville
1:30 p.m. – Sand Springs vs Ponca City FINAL 9-2 Sand Springs
4:00 p.m. – Enid vs Sapulpa FINAL 10-2 Enid
6:30 p.m. – Enid vs Sand Springs FINAL 5-2 Sand Springs
Friday
11:00 a.m. – Bartlesville vs Sapulpa FINAL 10-7 Sapulpa
1:30 p.m. – Bartlesville vs Enid FINAL 8-7 Bartlesville
4:00 p.m. – Sapulpa vs Sand Springs FINAL 6-4 Sapulpa
Like this post? Don’t miss any Sooner State Baseball Report content. Enter your email below and have SSBR content delivered to your inbox.
Sooner State Baseball Report 
Leave a comment